The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method for assisting a first person in maintaining a restraining hold on a second person for extended periods of time.
There are many thousands of human service and law enforcement agencies and facilities that provide care and supervision to aggressive, suicidal, and emotionally disturbed persons (hereinafter commonly referred to as "EDPs"). The staff and officers working in these agencies regularly come into physical contact with the EDPs through the use of physical subduing or restraint holds when the EDP becomes aggressive. Although there are many types of well-known physical subduing holds, the safest and most advantageous physical subduing hold is a Primary Restraint Technique (PRT).
The PRT is an advantageous system of maneuvers that was developed by Bruce Chapman, a professional in the field of EDP care and supervision, from years of experience with subduing and restraining EDPs in a variety of environments. The PRT is a single person restraint that is applied from behind by engaging both arms of the EDP simultaneously or from the side by engaging one arm first followed by the other. The staff member engages or threads his arms through EDP's arms so that the EDP's elbows are underneath the staff member's armpits, his chest held closely against the EDP's back, hands overlapping or side by side with the palms flat or on edge against the EDP's back, such that the staff member's wrists and fingertips are pointed towards the EDP's head. The act of turning the fingertips and wrists straight up in this configuration has the effect of making the PRT a mechanically correct "skeletal lock" and this distinguishes it from any other wrestling or subduing hold. The PRT can be further reinforced or stabilized by taking hold of clothing worn by the EDP but, even with closed fists (with or without clothing), the wrists must but be turned straight up in order to take full advantage of this passive "locking" effect. Essentially, the staff member's upper and lower arm bones passively lock the upper and lower arm bones of the EDP without the use of muscularity or strength on the part of the staff member. The PRT cannot be broken with strength. It is this mechanical advantage that allows persons of modest size and strength to safely subdue stronger and larger EDPs than otherwise possible with any other passive subduing hold.
The PRT is implemented as a standing restraint, making it useful to control an EDP on their feet. Thus the PRT is particularly useful as a single person "restrain and escort" technique. However, there are also occasions when an EDP may continue to struggle after the PRT is applied, necessitating (for safety reasons) a "takedown" by a staff member to the floor. A takedown method was devised to complement the PRT in order to eliminate virtually all of kinetic energy when the EDP is moved rearward into what is herein described as a "settle position". However, because the settle position is not particularly stable, a further technique was devised of turning the head of the EDP 180 degrees face down to a prone or what is described as a "neutral position". The neutral position eliminates virtually all of kinetic energy and impact forces that may be exerted by the staff member on the EDP as the EDP is turned face down.
The neutral position offers the maximum amount of control to the staff member due to the specific angle of the lower body of the staff member angled at an approximate 45 degree angle to the lower body of the EDP and with his hip slightly below and pressed tightly against the hip of an actively combatant EDPs. Although many EDPs regain composure relatively quickly, others can remain in a combative state for extended period of time. When the EDPs remain agitated for extended period of time (sometimes up to thirty minutes or longer) regardless of the restraint method used, the EDP may be exposed to what is described in the medical literature as positional asphyxiation resulting from accidental chest compression. Staff members of all sizes and weights work in various care agencies, subduing EDPs of all sizes and weights who are of varying degrees of physical health. Naturally, the problem of chest compression is exacerbated as the difference in size between the staff member and the EDP becomes greater in favor of the staff member, as is often the case when adults restrain children and juveniles, and the longer the restraint is maintained. The combination of chest compression and fatigue on the part of the EDP's of all ages and sizes can be fatal and it is an increasing concern in the human service industry.
The PRT in the neutral position is the only prone-type restraint technique that enables staff members to eliminate virtually all of their weight from an EDP's chest, thereby rendering positional asphyxiation virtually impossible. Maintenance of the neutral position is made possible using the "tripod modification" technique. The tripod modification is a method whereby the staff member shifts their entire upper body weight to an "outside elbow" and to a lessor extent one or both knees. It is the ability to eliminate the entire body weight from the EDP that distinguishes the PRT in the neutral position from any other prone restraint or subduing hold method. Despite this feature, the size of the EDP, the surface of the floor covering in the location of the engagement of the PRT neutral position, the duration of the prone restraint and other factors can make it difficult to maintain a tripod modification.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide an apparatus or method to assist a staff member in maintaining the PRT in the tripod modification for an extended period of time, thereby reducing the danger of positional asphyxiation of the EDP.